Tips To Tackle Your Appraisal Meeting

Posted on February 19th, 2021

Appraisal meeting is a milestone for anyone. It has manifold importance as it not only decides the fate of salary increment but also the position. If handled well, the appraisal meeting can have an incredible positive turnaround. However, this meeting is easier said than done and, so the majority of employees cannot handle it well. All these lead to either less salary hike or lesser position increase or may not lead to any progress.

All such bottlenecks can be well-managed if prepared well and, the candidate knows exactly what to ask and what to say. Here are some tips for employees who may have appraisal discussion soon. Keep all the mentioned points in mind before gearing up for this decisive meeting.

Genuine Self-appraisal:

Always be well informed of how many asked goals you have accomplished in the current cycle. Give real numbers and be honest. Take responsibility for your achievements and failures alike. This attitude will add credibility to your work and also your nature of thinking. Self-analysis is what managers always want.

Know Yourself:

Before entering the conference room for such important meetings, assess your strengths and weaknesses. When asked what you can do, don’t say things that you know you actually cannot do. Instead, be bold to talk about your strengths. Describe your weaknesses so that there are good reasons for your manager to make the best decision that suits you. Without knowing what you are; and what your capability is, it is of no use to enter the discussion hall.

Seek Feedback:

Be ready to take the feedback. Keep your thoughts and mind open and always be prepared to accept any criticism your manager has for you. This openness should always be there and should also continue after your meeting. You should be ready for the criticism and change if needed. More than all these, if you can ask your manager to give his/her feedback then trust us, you have cracked your meeting. Don’t be defensive instead be progressive and accept your faults. Getting inputs from your seniors in this crucial meeting will leave a positive impression.

Goals For Subsequent Review:

At times, in one meeting nothing may happen and if this happens, be prepared for the next round. In the follow-up meeting, share your outlined goals and try to explain them to your manager. Include what you did, why you did, what went wrong and how you intend to rectify. This preparedness for the subsequent round will enhance your chances of striking balance between your thoughts and the management’s intentions.

Career Conversation:

In an appraisal meeting, just speaking about your present actions and intentions is not enough. You must also be ready with your future career goals and visions. If your career path is clear and has long term goals, there is no chance for your manager to deny you a hike. Don’t just limit to saying your goals, also have a clear blueprint regarding how you intend to achieve them with predefined actions and plan Bs.

Development Plan:

Since now you said about your career plans do not hesitate to ask your management’s support. Tell openly about what support, tools, software and human resource you need to accomplish the determined goals. The more elucidative you are, the more are the chances of your manager knowing you.

Positive Participation:

We know appraisal meetings are always tensed and uncertain but, what is the point in being nervous. Alternately, stay positive and be relaxed. Be ready to accept whatever the outcome is.

Keep yourself focused all through the meeting. Be patient and listen to the feedback and points your manager is saying.

Do not take suggestions of managers in a negative sense. Consider them as your stepping stones for success and a chance for growth in the future.

To sum up, do not always focus on ‘what’ you want and focus on ‘why’ you want. More than all, don’t take this meeting to just concentrate on salary increment. Appraisal meeting isn’t just for the salary part and, it encompasses many things inclusive your professional and personal growth.

Look and prepare for your discussion as a meeting for all-round development. If you can think so, you can see growth in criticism and probably get what you want.

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